“This is somebody using Parliamentary privilege to say something that they would be very nervous about saying in public. This particular line is something that she and others have been pushing since 2006. The answer is exactly the same as it has always been — it isn’t true, it is malicious gossip. Nikki Sinclaire wanted to be the leader of UKIP and will say anything that can be seen to damage me. Nothing she says surprises me in any way at all, she is capable of almost anything.”